Transmission for speed-indicators.



1. H` '3L E. VV.`BU'LI.R. H` Q E. wv. Bumm), xisuoas 0F 1. BULLARD, DEC'D. TRANSMISSION FUR SPEE SNDlCATORS. APPLICATION MED Hmz, 1909.

la T Patented Sian. 2:3, Mw.

v 2 SHEETSSHEET Mr-N* TJ'TTTTD sTaTns -raTanT oTTTon,

JAMES H. BULLARD AND EDWIN W. BULLARD, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS; FREDERICK H. BULLARD AND EDWIN W. BULLARD, EXECUTORS OE SAID JAMES H. BULLARD, DECEASED; SAID EXECUTORS AND SAID EDWIN W. BULLARD ASSIGNORS T0 ALLEN WEBSTER, 0F SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRANSISSION FOR SPEED-INDICATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 25, 1916.

Application iled January 2, 1909. Serial No. 470,321.

Our invention relates to mechanism for transmittingzmotion from the periphery of a wheel of a track vehicle, such as a steam or electric car, to an instrument carried by such vehicle and adapted to record or indicate the speed as transmitted from said wheel.

Our invention consists in the employment of means whereby the travel of the periphery of the tread portion of a car wheel constantly varying in diameter may be transmitted to an indicator in such manner that the desired results are attained as well as in mechanism for accomplishing the result, and also in providing a construction and arrangement wherein the jar and wear and consequent danger of derangement and inaccuracy when employed on high speed heavy vehicles may be as light as possible, and to a large eXtent oyercome.

One embodiment of our invention is herein described in detaill 'and shown in the accompanying drawings.

Heretofore all attempts to transmit accurately the speed of a track vehicle from a wheel of such vehicle to a register carried by the latter have proved futile to a greater or less extent, owing to the fact that the treads of the wheels of such vehicles are con-4 stantly wearing away and wearing away irregularly so that they have to be trued from time to time by turning or grinding, wherefore their diameters are constantly changing and the rate of speed which they are capable of recording iuctuates to a degree sufficient to seriously impair the accuracy of the same when transmitted in any other way than that herein set forth, and the object of our invention is to overcome this diiiiculty by providing mechanism which records the speed of the vehicle to which it is applied with accuracy. We are able to do this because our mechanism is so constructed that it receiVes its motion from the periphery or tread of the wheel, rather than from the unchanging liange or side of the wheel, or from the axle, in either of which latter events an inaccuracy would result because the actual mileage would not then be recorded or registered by the number of revolutions of the wheel which would be greater to the mile as the diameter of the wheel became less; that is to say, mechanism driven either directly or indirectly from or by a car wheel, except from its varying periphery, when set to register accurately when said wheel is of the maximum size, would over-register as the wheel decreased in size.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a comparatively simple transmission', of the class designated above. that can be readily fitted to any car, is adjustable, and has great wearing qualities, this last being due to the provision made for a contact with the tread or periphery of a wheel at or adjacent to its horizontal diameter, since it is here that the contact produces the least amount of injurious vibration or oscillation, as affecting the transmission, as the car trucks play up and down on their supporting springsindfependently of the sustaining axles and wheeis.

As the tread of a wheel is always comparatively clean, by reason of its Contact with the rail and brake, contact with the. tread of a wheel rather than with a rail, which latter is sometimes muddy, is much to be preferred and lends additional advantage to our transmission over'one which is applied to a rail. A rail is often covered with foreign matter and is seldom as clean as a wheel tread for any length of time.`

We attain the objects and secure the advantages above pointed out by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of our transmission showing it applied to a car, one wheel and part of a truck therefor, of the car, appearing in elevation, and portions of the floor or platform labove such truck and the end which 45 bysuch vibratory movement, as stated above the tire 22 is caused to contact more or less forcibly with the tread 10. This forcible contact is preferably produced by means of a spring, and in this case is broughtabout through the medium of .a bow spring 46 which is fastened at the top against the inside of the angle-iron 8, by means of bolts 47--47 and nuts 48-48, and hasits lower terminal in contact with Vthe tube 16. The spring 46 bears on the front of the hanger and so causes the hanger to swing backward or to have a tendency so to do, and thus indirectly tensions the roller 21 toward the wheel'l with the tire 22 pressedfagainst the tread 10.

The tube l'should be of the proper. length to so position vthe roller 21 that it contacts with the wheel 1 at or near the horizontal center of the same. This is done in order to reduce to the minimum the amount of pivotal play on-the part of the hanger'producedi by the up and down motion or vibration of the truck 2, it being clearly apparent that there would be agrtat amount of suchv play if the contact between the 'car wheel and the transmission roller were'at any considerable distance above or below the aforesaid horizontal center of said wheel,- By thus contacting with the car Wheel at a point which is approximately Vfarthest from the center of said wheel in a line at right-angles to the vibratory movement of the truck,^and which is therefore in a vertical. line that is approximately tangent to the periphery of the wheel, the transmission roller rides on said periphery without being affected to any great extent in slightly different terms, and there is in consequence very little Wear of the hanger bearing parts, so that the life of these parts is prolonged indefinitely. In practice, this has beenfound to be a matter of great importance, so much so', in fact, thatno other arrangement is practical because of the rapid and excessive 'Wear of the lhanger bearing parts resulting therefrom.

The adjustment vprovided for the gearcase is a valuable feature inasmuch as we are thus able to avoid too short bends or turns in the flexible-shaft and its sheath, with the result that the former operates with more freedom and lasts longer.

In practice, after the new mechanism; provided with a tube 16 of suitable length to properly position the roller 21 as hereinbefore explained, h as been attached to thel truck 2, and the flexible-shaft connections have been made, not forgetting the adjustment of the gear-case 19 around the shaft lthe bevel-gear 29 and through the medium,

of the latter causes the bevel-gear 30 andthespindle I31 to rotate, said spindle impartsA rotary motion to the Hexible-shaft 6 which is connected therewith, and said exible'- shaft in turn actuates the speed-indicator 5. Thus every foot of travel of the .tread 10, which is the same as every foot that thecar travels, is recorded and recorded accurately, and this is true regardless of the diameter of said tread. There can beno vlost motion between the driving and driven members 1 and 2l, and no over-registration, owing to the peculiar construction and arrangement of the i sion.

'IVe consider the foregoing detailed f descripti on the best embodiment of our invention.' Y v'What we claim as our'invention, and desire4 to 'secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a railroad car, in which, when traveling, there is both vertical and horizontal movements as between car body and truck and as between truck and Wheels, the wheels having metallic treads, a member having movement toward and from the tread of one of the wheels, a roller mounted on said member and held in yielding contact with the tread approximately at the level of the axle, an indicator -on the car body and flexible driving connections between said roller and said indicator.

2. The combination of a railway car having car wheels with metallic treads and in' which, when traveling, there is both vertical and horizontal movements as between car body and truck, a hanger mounted on the car body and arranged to swing toward and from the tread of one of the car wheels, means to force said hanger toward said tread, a roller supported by said hanger and bearing against said tread, a speed indicator on the car body and flexible driving means parts which make up our transmisextending between said' roller and said inported by the hanger and arranged to bear against said face, amA indicator mounted on the car body and a fiexible shaft extending" between the mechanism in the gear case and 5 the indicator.

i 4. The combination with a. railroad car, a hanger, a rotatable roller suitably supported by the hanger, a gear case supported by the henger,l said gear oase being adjustable, a

10 spring to force the hanger toWId the tread of one of the car Wheels, means for securing the gear casein dierentpositions, an indi- Gator on the car body and flexible driving; means between the mechanism in the geen case and the indicator. l

JAMES H; BULLARD. EDNIN W. BULLRD. Witnesses: f

F. A. CUTTEm AC. FAIRBANKS. y 

